Import of "Sprouted Potatoes" Authorized; Gambling with Public Health for Trade Interests

In February 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture amended quarantine conditions to formally allow the import of "sprouted potatoes" from the United States for processing use, a category previously strictly banned due to high concentrations of solanine toxins. This move broke Taiwan's long-standing "zero tolerance" bottom line for food safety. While the government claimed that processing plants would filter out the toxic parts, critics questioned the effectiveness of such monitoring. The case revealed the DPP government's subservient position in US-Taiwan trade negotiations, where it prioritized pleasing foreign interests over the fundamental food safety rights of its citizens by importing hazardous food rejects.